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REM-related sleep-disordered breathing is associated with depressive symptoms in men but not in women

  • Sleep Breathing Physiology and Disorders • Original Article
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Abstract

Purpose

The purposes of the present study are to determine the prevalence and demographic features of rapid eye movement (REM)-related sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in Korean adults with newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and determine if REM-related SDB is associated with depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in OSA patients.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated 1281 OSA adults who were consecutively recruited. REM-related SDB was defined as an overall apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5, an AHINREM <15, and AHIREM to AHINREM ratio of >2. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health survey (SF-36) were used to evaluate all patients. Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the associations between REM-related SDB and clinical outcomes.

Results

The prevalence of REM-related SDB was 18 % in this study. REM-related SDB was more commonly observed in patients with mild or moderate OSA (p < 0.001) and women (p < 0.001). The linear regression analysis showed that the presence of REM-related SDB was significantly associated with higher BDI scores, but only in men. AHIREM was positively associated with the BDI scores, but only in men with REM-related SDB. There were no differences in ESS and SF-36 scores between patients with and without REM-related SDB.

Conclusions

Patients with REM-related SDB account for 18 % of Korean OSA adults. REM-related SDB was associated with depressive symptoms, but only in men. AHIREM is positively related to the degree of depressive symptoms in men with REM-related SDB.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 138-736, South Korea

    Sang-Ahm Lee, Joon-Hyun Paek & Su-Hyun Han

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  1. Sang-Ahm Lee
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  2. Joon-Hyun Paek
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  3. Su-Hyun Han
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Correspondence to Sang-Ahm Lee.

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Ethical approval

All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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No funding was received for this research.

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All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements) or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge, or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Lee, SA., Paek, JH. & Han, SH. REM-related sleep-disordered breathing is associated with depressive symptoms in men but not in women. Sleep Breath 20, 995–1002 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-016-1323-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-016-1323-2

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